Rheumatoid arthritis is an inflammatory disease, primarily of the joints, with autoimmune features and a complex genetic component.

Chilblain lupus is a cutaneous form of systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE; 152700) characterized by the appearance of painful bluish-red papular or nodular lesions of the skin in acral locations (including the dorsal aspects of fingers and toes, heels, nose, cheeks, ears, and, in some cases, knees) precipitated by cold and wet exposure (summary by Lee-Kirsch et al., 2006). Genetic Heterogeneity of Chilblain Lupus See also CHBL2 (614415), caused by mutation in the SAMHD1 gene (606754) on chromosome 20q11. Mutations in the TREX1 and SAMHD1 genes also cause Aicardi-Goutieres syndrome (AGS1, 225750 and AGS5, 612952, respectively).

Familial Mediterranean fever (FMF) is divided into two phenotypes: type 1 and type 2. FMF type 1 is characterized by recurrent short episodes of inflammation and serositis including fever, peritonitis, synovitis, pleuritis, and, rarely, pericarditis and meningitis. The symptoms and severity vary among affected individuals, sometimes even among members of the same family. Amyloidosis, which can lead to renal failure, is the most severe complication, if untreated. FMF type 2 is characterized by amyloidosis as the first clinical manifestation of FMF in an otherwise asymptomatic individual.

Acute febrile neutrophilic dermatosis (AFND) is an autosomal dominant autoinflammatory disorder characterized by onset of recurrent fever and dermatologic abnormalities in childhood. Laboratory studies show elevated acute-phase reactants and activation of the inflammatory response, particularly IL1B (147720). Additional more variable features may include myalgia and arthralgia (summary by Masters et al., 2016).

Muckle-Wells syndrome (MWS) is characterized by episodic skin rash, arthralgias, and fever associated with late-onset sensorineural deafness and renal amyloidosis (Dode et al., 2002).

Mevalonate kinase deficiency is a condition characterized by recurrent episodes of fever, which typically begin during infancy. Each episode of fever lasts about 3 to 6 days, and the frequency of the episodes varies among affected individuals. In childhood the fevers seem to be more frequent, occurring as often as 25 times a year, but as the individual gets older the episodes occur less often.\n\nMevalonate kinase deficiency has additional signs and symptoms, and the severity depends on the type of the condition. There are two types of mevalonate kinase deficiency: a less severe type called hyperimmunoglobulinemia D syndrome (HIDS) and a more severe type called mevalonic aciduria (MVA).\n\nPeople with MVA have signs and symptoms of the condition at all times, not just during episodes of fever. Affected children have developmental delay, problems with movement and balance (ataxia), recurrent seizures (epilepsy), progressive problems with vision, and failure to gain weight and grow at the expected rate (failure to thrive). Individuals with MVA typically have an unusually small, elongated head. In childhood or adolescence, affected individuals may develop eye problems such as inflammation of the eye (uveitis), a blue tint in the white part of the eye (blue sclera), an eye disorder called retinitis pigmentosa that causes vision loss, or clouding of the lens of the eye (cataracts). Affected adults may have short stature and may develop muscle weakness (myopathy) later in life. During fever episodes, people with MVA may have an enlarged liver and spleen (hepatosplenomegaly), lymphadenopathy, abdominal pain, diarrhea, and skin rashes. Children with MVA who are severely affected with multiple problems may live only into early childhood; mildly affected individuals may have a normal life expectancy.\n\nDuring episodes of fever, people with HIDS typically have enlargement of the lymph nodes (lymphadenopathy), abdominal pain, joint pain, diarrhea, skin rashes, and headache. Occasionally they will have painful sores called aphthous ulcers around their mouth. In females, these may also occur around the vagina. Rarely, people with HIDS develop a buildup of protein deposits (amyloidosis) in the kidneys that can lead to kidney failure. Fever episodes in individuals with HIDS can be triggered by vaccinations, surgery, injury, or stress. Most people with HIDS have abnormally high levels of immune system proteins called immunoglobulin D (IgD) and immunoglobulin A (IgA) in the blood. It is unclear why some people with HIDS have high levels of IgD and IgA and some do not. Elevated levels of these immunoglobulins do not appear to cause any signs or symptoms. Individuals with HIDS do not have any signs and symptoms of the condition between fever episodes and typically have a normal life expectancy.

Chronic infantile neurologic cutaneous and articular syndrome (CINCA) is an early-onset, severe, chronic inflammatory disease, characterized by cutaneous symptoms, central nervous system involvement, and arthropathy (Feldmann et al., 2002). See also familial cold autoinflammatory syndrome-1 (FCAS1, CAPS1; 120100), an allelic disorder with a less severe phenotype.

Chronic recurrent multifocal osteomyelitis-3 (CRMO3) is an autosomal dominant autoinflammatory bone disease characterized by early childhood onset of bone pain and arthritis caused by sterile osteomyelitis. The disorder results from constitutive activation of the IL1-mediated inflammatory pathway due to loss of IL1 receptor sensitivity to its antagonist IL1RN (147679). et al. (2023) suggested the term 'Loss of IL1R1 Sensitivity to IL1RA (IL1RN)' or 'LIRSA' as a designation for this disorder. For a discussion of genetic heterogeneity of CRMO, see 609628.

An autoimmune disorder characterized by the association of primary biliary cirrhosis with limited cutaneous systemic sclerosis. Onset occurs between 30-65 years. Occurs sporadically, but rare familial cases with an unknown inheritance pattern have been observed. There is no cure and management is mainly supportive.

Familial periodic fever (FPF) is an autoinflammatory disorder characterized by recurrent fever with localized myalgia and painful erythema. Febrile attacks may last 1 or 2 days but often last longer than 1 week. Arthralgia of large joints, abdominal pain, conjunctivitis, and periorbital edema are common features. During attacks, painless cutaneous lesions may develop on the trunk or extremities and may migrate distally (review by Drenth and van der Meer, 2001).

Autoimmune lymphoproliferative syndrome (ALPS), caused by defective lymphocyte homeostasis, is characterized by the following: Non-malignant lymphoproliferation (lymphadenopathy, hepatosplenomegaly with or without hypersplenism) that often improves with age. Autoimmune disease, mostly directed toward blood cells. Lifelong increased risk for both Hodgkin and non-Hodgkin lymphoma. In ALPS-FAS (the most common and best-characterized type of ALPS, associated with heterozygous germline pathogenic variants in FAS), non-malignant lymphoproliferation typically manifests in the first years of life, inexplicably waxes and wanes, and then often decreases without treatment in the second decade of life; in many affected individuals, however, neither splenomegaly nor the overall expansion of lymphocyte subsets in peripheral blood decreases. Although autoimmunity is often not present at the time of diagnosis or at the time of the most extensive lymphoproliferation, autoantibodies can be detected before autoimmune disease manifests clinically. In ALPS-FAS caused by homozygous or compound heterozygous (biallelic) pathogenic variants in FAS, severe lymphoproliferation occurs before, at, or shortly after birth, and usually results in death at an early age. ALPS-sFAS, resulting from somatic FAS pathogenic variants in selected cell populations, notably the alpha/beta double-negative T cells (a/ß-DNT cells), appears to be similar to ALPS-FAS resulting from heterozygous germline pathogenic variants in FAS, although lower incidence of splenectomy and lower lymphocyte counts have been reported in ALPS-sFAS and no cases of lymphoma have yet been published.

Retinal vasculopathy with cerebral leukoencephalopathy and systemic manifestations (RVCL-S) is a small-vessel disease that affects highly vascularized tissues including the retina, brain, liver, and kidneys. Age of onset is often between 35 and 50 years. The most common presenting finding is decreased visual acuity and/or visual field defects. Neurologic manifestations may include hemiparesis, facial weakness, aphasia, and hemianopsia. Migraines and seizures are less frequently described. Renal manifestations may include mild-to-moderate increase in serum creatinine and mild proteinuria; progression to end-stage renal disease (ESRD) is uncommon. Hepatic manifestations frequently include mildly elevated levels of alkaline phosphatase and gamma-glutamyltransferase (GGT). Less common findings include psychiatric disorders, hypertension, mild-to-moderate anemia, and Raynaud phenomenon.

The histiocytosis-lymphadenopathy plus syndrome comprises features of 4 histiocytic disorders previously thought to be distinct: Faisalabad histiocytosis (FHC), sinus histiocytosis with massive lymphadenopathy (SHML), H syndrome, and pigmented hypertrichosis with insulin-dependent diabetes mellitus syndrome (PHID). FHC was described as an autosomal recessive disease involving joint deformities, sensorineural hearing loss, and subsequent development of generalized lymphadenopathy and swellings in the eyelids that contain histiocytes (summary by Morgan et al., 2010). SHML, or familial Rosai-Dorfman disease, was described as a rare cause of lymph node enlargement in children, consisting of chronic massive enlargement of cervical lymph nodes frequently accompanied by fever, leukocytosis, elevated erythrocyte sedimentation rate, and polyclonal hypergammaglobulinemia. Extranodal sites were involved in approximately 25% of patients, including salivary glands, orbit, eyelid, spleen, and testes. The involvement of retropharyngeal lymphoid tissue sometimes caused snoring and sleep apnea (summary by Kismet et al., 2005). H syndrome was characterized by cutaneous hyperpigmentation and hypertrichosis, hepatosplenomegaly, heart anomalies, and hypogonadism; hearing loss was also found in about half of patients, and many had short stature. PHID was characterized by predominantly antibody-negative insulin-dependent diabetes mellitus associated with pigmented hypertrichosis and variable occurrence of other features of H syndrome, with hepatosplenomegaly occurring in about half of patients (Cliffe et al., 2009). Bolze et al. (2012) noted that mutations in the SLC29A3 gene (612373) had been implicated in H syndrome, PHID, FHC, and SHML, and that some patients presented a combination of features from 2 or more of these syndromes, leading to the suggestion that these phenotypes should be grouped together as 'SLC29A3 disorder.' Bolze et al. (2012) suggested that the histologic features of the lesions seemed to be the most uniform phenotype in these patients. In addition, the immunophenotype of infiltrating cells in H syndrome patients was shown to be the same as that seen in patients with the familial form of Rosai-Dorfman disease, further supporting the relationship between these disorders (Avitan-Hersh et al., 2011; Colmenero et al., 2012).

Majeed syndrome (MJDS) is an autosomal recessive pediatric multisystem autoinflammatory disorder characterized by chronic recurrent multifocal osteomyelitis (CRMO) and congenital dyserythropoietic anemia; some patients may also develop neutrophilic dermatosis. Additional features may include fever, failure to thrive, and neutropenia. Laboratory studies show elevated inflammatory markers consistent with activation of the proinflammatory IL1 (147760) pathway (summary by Ferguson and El-Shanti, 2021). Genetic Heterogeneity of Chronic Recurrent Multifocal Osteomyelitis See also CRMO2 (612852), caused by mutation in the IL1RN gene (147679) on chromosome 2q14; and CRMO3 (259680), caused by mutation in the IL1R1 gene (147810) on chromosome 2q12.

A rare large vessel vasculitis (LVV) characterized by vasculitis predominantly involving the arteries originating from the aortic arch and the extracranial branches of the carotid arteries. Clinical manifestations are variable, the predominant cranial phenotype is characterized by headache, jaw claudication, scalp tenderness and visual symptoms and the predominant LVV type by constitutional symptoms, polymyalgia rheumatica and occasionally limb ischemia. Overlaps between these two phenotypes are common.

Mevalonic aciduria (MEVA), the first recognized defect in the biosynthesis of cholesterol and isoprenoids, is a consequence of a deficiency of mevalonate kinase (ATP:mevalonate 5-phosphotransferase; EC 2.7.1.36). Mevalonic acid accumulates because of failure of conversion to 5-phosphomevalonic acid, which is catalyzed by mevalonate kinase. Mevalonic acid is synthesized from 3-hydroxy-3-methylglutaryl-CoA, a reaction catalyzed by HMG-CoA reductase (142910). Mevalonic aciduria is characterized by dysmorphology, psychomotor retardation, progressive cerebellar ataxia, and recurrent febrile crises, usually manifesting in early infancy, accompanied by hepatosplenomegaly, lymphadenopathy, arthralgia, and skin rash. The febrile crises are similar to those observed in hyperimmunoglobulinemia D and to periodic fever syndrome (HIDS; 260920), which is also caused by mutation in the MVK gene (summary by Prietsch et al., 2003).

Familial cold autoinflammatory syndrome-2 (FCAS2) is an autosomal dominant autoinflammatory disorder characterized by episodic and recurrent rash, urticaria, arthralgia, myalgia, and headache. In most patients, these episodes are accompanied by fever and serologic evidence of inflammation. Most, but not all, patients report exposure to cold as a trigger for the episodes. Additional features may include abdominal pain, thoracic pain, and sensorineural deafness. The age at onset is variable, ranging from the first year of life to middle age, and the severity and clinical manifestations are heterogeneous (summary by Shen et al., 2017). For a phenotypic description and a discussion of genetic heterogeneity of familial cold autoinflammatory syndrome, see FCAS1 (120100).

Any sarcoidosis in which the cause of the disease is a mutation in the HLA-DRB1 gene.

Chronic recurrent multifocal osteomyelitis-2 with periostitis and pustulosis (CRMO2) is an autosomal recessive multisystemic autoinflammatory disorder characterized by onset of symptoms in early infancy. Affected individuals present with joint swelling and pain, pustular rash, oral mucosal lesions, and fetal distress. The disorder progresses in severity to generalized severe pustulosis or ichthyosiform lesions and diffuse bone lesions. Radiographic studies show widening of the anterior rib ends, periosteal elevation along multiple long bones, multifocal osteolytic lesions, heterotopic ossification, and metaphyseal erosions of the long bones. Laboratory studies show elevation of inflammatory markers. The disorder results from unopposed activation of the IL1 inflammatory signaling pathway. Treatment with the interleukin-1 receptor antagonist anakinra may result in clinical improvement (Aksentijevich et al., 2009). For a discussion of genetic heterogeneity of CRMO, see 609628.

Camurati-Engelmann Disease not associated with TGFB1. This is an n-of-1 use case where only one patient or family has been described with this disorder.

Chronic granulomatous disease (CGD) is a primary immunodeficiency disorder of phagocytes (neutrophils, monocytes, macrophages, and eosinophils) resulting from impaired killing of bacteria and fungi. CGD is characterized by severe recurrent bacterial and fungal infections and dysregulated inflammatory responses resulting in granuloma formation and other inflammatory disorders such as colitis. Infections typically involve the lung (pneumonia), lymph nodes (lymphadenitis), liver (abscess), bone (osteomyelitis), and skin (abscesses or cellulitis). Granulomas typically involve the genitourinary system (bladder) and gastrointestinal tract (often the pylorus initially, and later the esophagus, jejunum, ileum, cecum, rectum, and perirectal area). Some males with X-linked CGD have McLeod neuroacanthocytosis syndrome as the result of a contiguous gene deletion. While CGD may present anytime from infancy to late adulthood, the vast majority of affected individuals are diagnosed before age five years. Use of antimicrobial prophylaxis and therapy has greatly improved overall survival.

Lymphoproliferative syndrome-1 is an autosomal recessive primary immunodeficiency characterized by onset in early childhood of Epstein-Barr virus (EBV)-associated immune dysregulation, manifest as lymphoma, lymphomatoid granulomatosis, hemophagocytic lymphohistiocytosis, Hodgkin disease, and/or hypogammaglobulinemia. Autoimmune disorders, such as autoimmune hemolytic anemia or renal disease, may also occur. Patients show a high EBV viral load and decreased invariant natural killer T cells. It is unknown whether patients with ITK mutations are intrinsically susceptible to development of lymphoma or dysgammaglobulinemia in the absence of EBV infection (summary by Stepensky et al., 2011; Linka et al., 2012). For a discussion of genetic heterogeneity of lymphoproliferative syndrome, see XLP1 (308240).

Autoimmune lymphoproliferative syndrome type III is an autosomal recessive disorder of immune dysregulation. The phenotype is variable, but most patients have significant lymphadenopathy associated with variable autoimmune manifestations. Some patients may have recurrent infections. Lymphocyte accumulation results from a combination of impaired apoptosis and excessive proliferation (summary by Oliveira, 2013). For a general description and a discussion of genetic heterogeneity of ALPS, see 601859.

Adenosine deaminase 2 deficiency (DADA2) is a complex systemic autoinflammatory disorder in which vasculopathy/vasculitis, dysregulated immune function, and/or hematologic abnormalities may predominate. Inflammatory features include intermittent fevers, rash (often livedo racemosa/reticularis), and musculoskeletal involvement (myalgia/arthralgia, arthritis, myositis). Vasculitis, which usually begins before age ten years, may manifest as early-onset ischemic (lacunar) and/or hemorrhagic strokes, or as cutaneous or systemic polyarteritis nodosa. Hypertension and hepatosplenomegaly are often found. More severe involvement may lead to progressive central neurologic deficits (dysarthria, ataxia, cranial nerve palsies, cognitive impairment) or to ischemic injury to the kidney, intestine, and/or digits. Dysregulation of immune function can lead to immunodeficiency or autoimmunity of varying severity; lymphadenopathy may be present and some affected individuals have had lymphoproliferative disease. Hematologic disorders may begin early in life or in late adulthood, and can include lymphopenia, neutropenia, pure red cell aplasia, thrombocytopenia, or pancytopenia. Of note, both interfamilial and intrafamilial phenotypic variability (e.g., in age of onset, frequency and severity of manifestations) can be observed; also, individuals with biallelic ADA2 pathogenic variants may remain asymptomatic until adulthood or may never develop clinical manifestations of DADA2.

Immunodeficiency-27A (IMD27A) results from autosomal recessive (AR) IFNGR1 deficiency. Patients with complete IFNGR1 deficiency have a severe clinical phenotype characterized by early and often fatal mycobacterial infections. The disorder can thus be categorized as a form of mendelian susceptibility to mycobacterial disease (MSMD). Bacillus Calmette-Guerin (BCG) and environmental mycobacteria are the most frequent pathogens, and infection typically begins before the age of 3 years. Plasma from patients with complete AR IFNGR1 deficiency usually contains large amounts of IFNG (147570), and their cells do not respond to IFNG in vitro. In contrast, cells from patients with partial AR IFNGR1 deficiency, which is caused by a specific mutation in IFNGR1, retain residual responses to high IFNG concentrations. Patients with partial AR IFNGR1 deficiency are susceptible to BCG and environmental mycobacteria, but they have a milder clinical disease and better prognosis than patients with complete AR IFNGR1 deficiency. The clinical features of children with complete AR IFNGR1 deficiency are usually more severe than those in individuals with AD IFNGR1 deficiency (IMD27B), and mycobacterial infection often occurs earlier (mean age of 1.3 years vs 13.4 years), with patients having shorter mean disease-free survival. Salmonellosis is present in about 5% of patients with AR or AD IFNGR1 deficiency, and other infections have been reported in single patients (review by Al-Muhsen and Casanova, 2008).

STING-associated vasculopathy with onset in infancy is an autoinflammatory vasculopathy causing severe skin lesions, particularly affecting the face, ears, nose, and digits, and resulting in ulceration, eschar formation, necrosis, and, in some cases, amputation. Many patients have interstitial lung disease. Tissue biopsy and laboratory findings show a hyperinflammatory state, with evidence of increased beta-interferon (IFNB1; 147640) signaling (summary by Liu et al., 2014).

Yao syndrome (YAOS) is an autoinflammatory disease characterized by periodic fever, dermatitis, arthritis, and swelling of the distal extremities, as well as gastrointestinal and sicca-like symptoms. The disorder is associated with specific NOD2 variants (and Shen, 2017).

Immunodeficiency-71 with inflammatory disease and congenital thrombocytopenia (IMD71) is an autosomal recessive immunologic disorder characterized by the onset of recurrent infections and inflammatory features such as vasculitis and eczema in infancy or early childhood. Infectious agents include bacteria and viruses. Laboratory findings are variable, but usually show thrombocytopenia, sometimes with abnormal platelet morphology, increased serum IgE, IgA, or IgM, leukocytosis, decreased or increased T lymphocytes, and increased eosinophils. Detailed studies show impaired neutrophil and T-cell chemotaxis, as well as impaired T-cell activation due to defects in F-actin (see 102610) polymerization (summary by Brigida et al., 2018).

This autosomal recessive systemic autoinflammatory disorder is characterized by early childhood onset of annular erythematous plaques on the face and extremities with subsequent development of partial lipodystrophy and laboratory evidence of immune dysregulation. More variable features include recurrent fever, severe joint contractures, muscle weakness and atrophy, hepatosplenomegaly, basal ganglia calcifications, and microcytic anemia (summary by Agarwal et al., 2010; Kitamura et al., 2011; Arima et al., 2011). This disorder encompasses Nakajo-Nishimura syndrome (NKJO); joint contractures, muscular atrophy, microcytic anemia, and panniculitis-induced lipodystrophy (JMP syndrome); and chronic atypical neutrophilic dermatosis with lipodystrophy and elevated temperature syndrome (CANDLE). Among Japanese patients, this disorder is best described as Nakajo-Nishimura syndrome, since both Nakajo (1939) and Nishimura et al. (1950) contributed to the original phenotypic descriptions. Genetic Heterogeneity of Proteasome-Associated Autoinflammatory Syndrome See also PRAAS2 (618048), caused by mutation in the POMP gene (613386) on chromosome 13q12; PRAAS3 (617591), caused by mutation in the PSMB4 gene (602177) on chromosome 1q21; PRAAS4 (619183), caused by mutation in the PSMG2 gene (609702) on chromosome 18p11; and PRAAS5 (619175), caused by mutation in the PSMB10 gene (176847) on chromosome 16q22.

Proteasome-associated autoinflammatory syndrome-3 is an autosomal recessive syndrome with onset in early infancy. Affected individuals present with nodular dermatitis, recurrent fever, myositis, panniculitis-induced lipodystrophy, lymphadenopathy, and dysregulation of the immune response, particularly associated with abnormal type I interferon-induced gene expression patterns. Additional features are highly variable, but may include joint contractures, hepatosplenomegaly, anemia, thrombocytopenia, recurrent infections, autoantibodies, and hypergammaglobulinemia. Some patients may have intracranial calcifications (summary by Brehm et al., 2015). For a discussion of genetic heterogeneity of PRAAS, see PRAAS1 (256040).

Proteasome-associated autoinflammatory syndrome-2 (PRAAS2) is an autosomal dominant disorder with onset in early infancy. Affected individuals develop severe inflammatory neutrophilic dermatitis, autoimmunity, and variable immunodeficiency (summary by Poli et al., 2018). For a discussion of genetic heterogeneity of PRAAS, see PRAAS1 (256040).

Autoimmune interstitial lung, joint, and kidney disease is an autosomal dominant systemic autoimmune disorder characterized by interstitial lung disease, inflammatory arthritis, and immune complex-mediated renal disease. Laboratory studies show high-titer autoantibodies. Symptoms appear in the first 2 decades of life, but there is incomplete penetrance (summary by Watkin et al., 2015).

VEXAS (vacuoles, E1 enzyme, X-linked, autoinflammatory, somatic syndrome) is an adult-onset inflammatory disease that primarily affects males and is caused by somatic, not germline, mutations. The disorder is characterized by adult onset of rheumatologic symptoms at a mean age of 64 years. Features include recurrent fevers, pulmonary and dermatologic inflammatory manifestations, vasculitis, deep vein thrombosis, arthralgias, and ear and nose chondritis. Laboratory studies indicate hematologic abnormalities, including macrocytic anemia, as well as increased levels of acute-phase reactants; about half of patients have positive autoantibodies. Bone marrow biopsy shows degenerative vacuolization restricted to myeloid and erythroid precursor cells, as well as variable hematopoietic dyspoiesis and dysplasias. The condition does not respond to rheumatologic medications and the features may result in premature death (summary by Beck et al., 2020).

Infantile ulcerative colitis (IBD31) is characterized by the presence of ulcers throughout the colon and rectum with normal-appearing ileum. Affected infants present with recurrent bloody diarrhea with anemia and leukocytosis, with extensive lymphoplasmocytic infiltration, cryptitis, and apoptotic crypt abcesses throughout the colon and rectum (Zhang et al., 2021). Infantile bowel disease has also been referred to as very-early-onset IBD (VEOIBD). For a general description and discussion of genetic heterogeneity of inflammatory bowel disease, including Crohn disease (CD) and ulcerative colitis, see IBD1 (266600).

Immunodeficiency-89 and autoimmunity (IMD89) is an autosomal recessive immune disorder characterized by adult onset of recurrent infections, allergies, microcytic anemia, and Crohn disease (see 266600) (Yang et al., 2020).

Immunodeficiency-91 and hyperinflammation (IMD91) is an autosomal recessive complex immunologic disorder characterized by both immunodeficiency and recurrent infections, often to viruses or mycobacteria, as well as by hyperinflammation with systemic involvement. Affected individuals present in infancy with variable features, including fever, infection, thrombocytopenia, renal or hepatic dysfunction, recurrent infections, or seizures. Most patients eventually develop hepatic or renal failure, compromised neurologic function, lymphadenopathy or hepatosplenomegaly, and multiorgan failure resulting in death. More variable features may include intermittent monocytosis, features of hemophagocytic lymphohistiocytosis (HLH), and serologic evidence of hyperinflammation. The disorder is thought to result from dysregulation of the interferon response to viral stimulation in the innate immune system (summary by Le Voyer et al., 2021; Vavassori et al., 2021).

X-linked familial Behcet-like autoinflammatory syndrome-2 (AIFBL2) is an X-linked recessive disorder characterized by the onset of inflammatory symptoms in the first decade of life in male patients. Affected males often present with oral mucosal ulceration and skin inflammation. More variable features may include gastrointestinal ulceration, arthritis, recurrent fevers, and iron deficiency anemia. Laboratory studies are consistent with immune dysregulation manifest as increased inflammatory markers and variable immune cell abnormalities, such as decreased NK cells and low memory B cells. One patient presented with recurrent infections and immunodeficiency in addition to autoinflammation. The disorder results from a defect in ELF4, which normally acts as a negative regulator of inflammatory disease. Symptoms may respond to blockade of IL1 (see 147760) or TNFA (191160) (summary by Tyler et al., 2021 and Sun et al., 2022). For a discussion of genetic heterogeneity of AIFBL, see AIFBL1 (616744).

C1q deficiency (C1QD) is a rare autosomal recessive disorder characterized by recurrent skin lesions, chronic infections, and an increased risk of autoimmune diseases, particularly systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE; see 152700) or SLE-like diseases. It has also been associated with chronic glomerulonephritis and renal failure. C1q deficiency presents in 2 different forms, absent C1q protein or presence of a dysfunctional molecule (summary by Topaloglu et al., 1996 and Vassallo et al., 2007). For a discussion of genetic heterogeneity of C1q deficiency, see 613652.